Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I also think that outside counsel may be needed.
Our role and our current work are similar to the role and work of a commission of inquiry. However, in the case of commissions of inquiry, counsel always provides advice to the commissioners in the course of their work.
I'm not sure that we should wait to hire counsel. If we wait until we need counsel, there may be a waiting period while counsel reviews all the evidence and the facts. If we hire counsel now, they can start keeping track of our work. When questions come up spontaneously, it will be easier to obtain legal advice. This will help us avoid delays. If we wait until we have an issue before we ask counsel a question, we may need to wait a week or two for an answer. This could push back our work schedule or cause some delays.
I believe that counsel should be hired now.